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Anti-Racism: How can I pray and what can I do?

BLACK LIVES MATTER

Racism isn’t an exclusively American problem. Racism is alive in the UK and here in Bristol and in the Church. Racism is a sin, and as such all Christians everywhere are duty bound to stand, be counted and fight against it. Silence on the matter is complicity.

In response to the recent death of George Floyd, and in the light of the problems we have with racism here in Bristol, Tim Dobson, one of our pastors at Woodlands, wanted to share a few thoughts to help us pray and share some resources to help us learn to listen, learn and respond in a sensitive and meaningful way.

Watch our video with Tim from early June:

In addition, Hannah Mitchell also made a very helpful devotional on her feelings this week with the Black Lives Matter movement gaining momentum and how we might be able to take action. Watch Hannah’s video here:

Our young people at church have also been discussing racism this week. Check out what they’ve been up to by looking @devoyouth on Instagram. Thanks to our youth pastor Joe Cook for getting the conversation going and Abi Ndosi for being so willing and open to share her experiences. Watch the video interview.

Also at Woodlands Metro on 7 June, the team set aside time in the service to listen to black members of the Church as they shared their experiences of racism, their prayers, thoughts and reflections on how we can be a part of standing against this evil. Watch Metro vs Racism below:

Our Woodies Young Adults also had an Instagram Live session called Let’s talk about racism on 7 June, you can watch it online here:

For our 21 June service, pastor Tim Dobson got to catch up with Carmen Carrol, who works for The Keyboard Trust in Bristol, an organisation that aims to build unity between black and white led churches to help transform society. It was great to hear about what she's been doing in her role and what we can do to combat racism and to have her pray for unity.

ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES

There is a wealth of content online about anti-racism which can be useful to watch, read, study and listen to when thinking about how you can become more thoughtful, aware and educated. Here are just a few links to resources that you might find helpful. Let’s all seek to listen, learn, pray and act in ways that will change the world for good. Please share any links you think are helpful with us on social media.

CAMPAIGNS & MOVEMENTS:

ONLINE CONTENT:

BIBLE STUDY RESOURCES SPECIFICALLY FOR CHRISTIANS

ONLINE RESOURCES SPECIFICALLY FOR CHRISTIANS

BOOKS SPECIFICALLY FOR CHRISTIANS

  • Book: The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone 

  • Book:  Bonhoeffer's Black Jesus by Reggie L Williams

  • Book: The Christian Imagination, Theology and the Origin of Race by Willie James Jennings

  • Book: Is Our God Colourblind? by Anthony Reddie 

  • Book: The Very Good Gospel by Lisa Sharon Harper

  • Book: Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys: A Native American Expression of the Jesus Way by Richard Twiss

  • Book: We Need To Talk About Race: Understanding the Black Experience in White Majority Churches by Ben Lindsay

  • Book: Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison

  • Book: The Colour of Compromise: The truth about the American Church's complicity in racism by Jemar Tisby

  • Book: Why I am no longer talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo Lodge

  • Workbook: Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad

RESOURCES SPECIFICALLY FOR WHITE PEOPLE

RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES, KIDS & YOUTH:

Living Inside Out: Becoming | Philip Jinadu | 14 June 2020

14 June 2020 - 11am Service

Living Inside Out | Becoming

Dave and Amy are hosting this morning from the Foyer. The service will include worship led by April Ballard with our Woodlands worship team, plus Philip will sharing a message with us as part of our series 'Living Inside Out' on 'Becoming'. Joe from Devo and Abi, one of our young people, will be praying about on racial injustice. It's also Global Partners Sunday and Johnny Walker caught up with Josh Rutere in Kenya to find out what's happening there.

STUDY NOTES

Becoming | Galatians 5:16 and 2 Corinthians 3:18

'We are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory'.


Introduction
Most of the things we place our value on are temporary (Marriage, job, location, health, etc). At best they are only for a lifetime. Our souls are made for eternity however, we are on a spiritual journey of soul care, spiritual growth which looks like transformation from the inside out. Who I'm becoming is more important than what I'm doing (though they affect one another).

Questions

  1. How does what I'm doing in life right now affect who I'm becoming (and vice versa)?

  2. Galatians talks about Spiritual fruit. What is the difference between the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit?

  3. It's easy to invest in our 'outer' humanity, to pursue education or physical fitness (or a romance!). How do we pursue and invest in spiritual growth?

  4. Imitating Jesus can be in his character (what he was like) and in conduct (the things he did. How are you pursuing imitating Christ?

  5. One way we can imitate Jesus in character and action at the same time is by being generous and giving to those in need. A book about Mother Theresa was called 'Something beautiful for God'. What have you seen in others spirituality that you could describe as beautiful?                                                            

  6. What place does 'dying to self' have in becoming more like Jesus? Do we have to 'die' to our selves or let our selves be full of Him? What's the difference?

Practice 
Matthew 6:2-4 talks about giving (almsgiving) to the poor in secret to be rewarded by your Father in secret. It's about doing the things the Father himself does. Review your giving. How much do you give to the poor? Do you know any poor people? What does it feel like to do a generous deed? What might you do with and for the Father this week that is secretly generous? Are you becoming more or less generous as you grow older?

Resources
Woodlands giving page: 
https://www.woodlandschurch.net/giving

Woodlands Global Partnerships Fund offering page:
https://www.woodlandschurch.net/offering

June Offering for our Global Partners

Each month, on the second Sunday we invite members of Woodlands to make an offering to our Global Partnership Fund - this month it falls on 14 June.

Our Global Partners from across the world are pursuing a vision to bring God's love and care to the nations, and they are facing serious challenges in light of COVID-19.

Since lockdown began and our services went online, we've been highlighting the work of one of our Global Partners each month - through the wonders of Zoom!

Listen to Johnny Walker, from our Global Partners team, as he catches up with Josh Rutere to find what's happening in Kenya in June 2020.

How to Give

If you are a Woodlands church member and you would like to give, you can do so by text or on our website.

  • You can text 'WOODLANDS' to 70085 to give £10. Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message.

  • You can choose an amount to give to our Global Partners online at: http://www.woodlandschurch.net/offering

About our Global Partners

Woodlands works with individuals across the world who are pursuing a vision to bring God's love and care to the nations of the world. We call these people our Global Partners. In some ways they are very ordinary every-day Christians, in other ways they are brilliant and courageous adventurers. Find out more about them and the work they do below.

If you have any questions about our Global Partners, how to support them or want more information on them or short term-mission trips opportunities, or would like to join the monthly Global Partners prayer, please email the Global Partners team.

Living Inside Out: Identity | Clare Thompson | 7 June 2020

7 June 2020 - 11am Service

Living Inside Out | Identity

Tim and Laura are hosting this morning from Laura's garden in Clutton. The service will include worship led by Luke Wareham with our Woodlands worship team, plus Clare will be kicking off our new preaching series 'Living Inside Out' and sharing a message about our identity in Christ. Rob and Jen will be leading us as we pray for our world, particularly focusing on racial injustice.

STUDY NOTES

Introduction
The events of this Spring, the pandemic, a lock-down and the challenge presented to organisations, including churches and businesses, have all conspired to shake people's identity. We take our significance from our relationships and our activities, the things we do in work & recreation. We have often been separated from key relationships and communities. We have become unable to work as normal and may not able to enjoy some of our sport and leisure activities.

From an eternal perspective what counts is who we are becoming. It's an inside out life, knowing God is our Father and living out of a relationship with Him through what Jesus has done in giving us His Spirit.

This is a great time to develop a life in Christ that is for eternity, not just a pandemic. Over June we will be looking at 'life inside out'. We will reference different verses from the New Testament around our titles, but Matthew Chapter 6 (which can be described as a secret history with God) frames some practices linked with the principles we are teaching about.

Read the passage in Romans 8:15-17.

Questions
How do I get my identity without being over dependent on external voices and circumstances?

  1. These verses speak of 'the spirit of sonship'. What qualifies us to be identified as children of God?

  2. Jesus demonstrated a unique relationship with God, calling him 'Abba'. At His baptism (Luke 3:21-22) we see the Father's relationship with and the Father's pleasure in Jesus. What was the source of that pleasure? Can you identify times when you have felt that sort of intimacy and God's pleasure in you?

  3. What had Jesus done to earn his identity as God's son? Do you feel you still need to earn the right to be called a child of God?

  4. What place does baptism have in shaping our identity as followers of Jesus? Have you been baptised as a grown-up follower of Jesus? What is your story?

  5. How does knowing you are God's child and loved by Him help you cope with external pressures from people, and the need to earn the affirmation and popularity of others?

  6. A key dynamic in knowing our identity as children of God is that we pray with confidence to our Father. Jesus taught his disciples to use the simple Aramaic baby phrase for Father, abba, (like daddy) when he taught them to pray (Matthew 6:9). How confident are we to pray to God with that simplicity?


Practice
Romans 8 goes on to speak about prayer, and Jesus in Matthew 6 tells us to pray in secret to our Father. This week practice prayer in 'secret' places. Try and pray out loud. Try calling God 'daddy'. Does that feel Ok or disrespectful? Many Christians are self-conscious praying out loud because they feel their prayers are not theological enough. Try praying simple prayers believing God really loves you and it's ok to ask Him for what you want.

Pentecost Sunday | Holy Spirit Stories

31 May 2020 - 11am Service

Pentecost Sunday | Holy Spirit Stories

We hope you enjoy this Pentecost Sunday service with Woodlands Church Online!

Rachel and Nigel are hosting this special service - which will include worship led by Robin Mitchell and the ADH Community House, plus testimonies from five members of our church family and a short talk from Dave about the Holy Spirit.

Enjoy!

Living Inside Out

In June, we’re starting a new preaching series called ‘Living Inside Out’.

Lockdown has been hard. It’s shaken people’s identities and their confidence in God’s fathering of them. God wants us to live out of our identity on the inside - like Jesus at his baptism. 

Who we are and who we are becoming are the important truths about us. Everything else is temporary. What are the opportunities to ‘become’ now?

During lockdown we’ve become obsessed with hygiene and cleanliness. Actually it’s a time where temptation to inner impurity in our thought life can make us ‘unclean’.

 And we may not have much hope for the future, or we might base our hope on externals-‘when they find a vaccine’. We are called to be hope bearers even when what we hope for is unseen.

Our sermons in this series will look at these topics…

  • Identity - 7 June

  • Becoming - 14 June

  • Clean - 21 June

  • Hopeful - 28 June

Letters from Lockdown: Locked & Down | Rachel Riddall

24 May 2020 - 11am Service

Letters from Lockdown: Locked & Down

This is the last of our services in the Letters from Lockdown series happening during May.

Pastor Rachel Riddall preaches to us about John the Baptist, considering how we keep faith in God when our experiences are hard.

Try Alpha Online! Starting 8 June

online1.jpg

Are you exploring faith? Try Alpha!

The Alpha Course is amazing because it’s about people connecting with each other and going on a spiritual journey. The course explores the key foundations of the Christian faith.

Our recent Alpha course was so popular, that we are starting another course on Monday, 8th June 2020. It will be run entirely online, so you can take part from the comfort of your own home. Watch this short video about Alpha to find out more.

Visit our Alpha Online page to sign up! All are welcome.

Letters from Lockdown: Locked | Nigel Savage

17 May 2020 - 11am Service

Letters from Lockdown: Locked Up Apostle

This is the third of our services in the Letters from Lockdown series happening during May.

Pastor Nigel Savage preaches to us about the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, which he wrote while he was in prison in Rome, focusing on how to pray and put on the armour of God as protection against evil.

Letters from Lockdown: Locked Out Leader | Dave Mitchell

3 May 2020 - 11am Service

Letters from Lockdown: Locked Out Leader

This is the first of our services in the Letters from Lockdown series happening during May.

Pastor David Mitchell preaches to us about the apostle John and scripture he wrote in Revelation when he was exiled on the island of Patmos.

One-to-One Prayer Ministry on Zoom

Did you know that on Sundays after our 11am service, our Prayer Ministry team is available live on Zoom for one-to-one prayer? Watch this short video from Dave Mitchell to find out more.

Details on how to take part will appear at the end of the service. 

During the week you can email our Pastoral Care team at any time, or you can post prayer requests in our private Church Family group on Facebook. 



Letters from Lockdown

May - Letters from Lockdown.jpg

Getting a Perspective of Hope in a Dark Time

During May, our new series Letters from Lockdown will focus on four lockdown situations in the Bible, looking at John, Jeremiah, Paul and John the Baptist. 

We hope that this series will give us a fresh appreciation of Church in a time of the Coronavirus pandemic and a perspective of hope in a dark time.

We will look at how to pray in lockdown and keep our faith when our experiences are hard. 

Tune in on Sunday!

Featured
Letters from Lockdown: Locked & Down | Rachel Riddall
Letters from Lockdown: Locked & Down | Rachel Riddall
Letters from Lockdown: Locked | Nigel Savage
Letters from Lockdown: Locked | Nigel Savage
Letters from Lockdown: Locked In Prophet | Rob Scott-Cook
Letters from Lockdown: Locked In Prophet | Rob Scott-Cook
Letters from Lockdown: Locked Out Leader | Dave Mitchell
Letters from Lockdown: Locked Out Leader | Dave Mitchell



Kingdom Come

Series - Kingdom Come - Apr 2020.jpg

Celebrating the victory of God.

During April, our series Kingdom Come will be our focus in the lead up to Holy Week and Easter, using scriptures in Matthew and Revelation.

The four themes for sermons across the month are:

  • Kingdom Conflict

  • Kingdom Coronation

  • Kingdom Come

  • Kingdom Conquest

Featured
Kingdom Come: Conquest | Clare Thompson
Kingdom Come: Conquest | Clare Thompson
Read More →
Kingdom Come - Rob Scott-Cook
Kingdom Come - Rob Scott-Cook
Read More →
Easter Sunday | Kingdom Come: Coronation - Rachel Riddall
Easter Sunday | Kingdom Come: Coronation - Rachel Riddall
Read More →
Palm Sunday | Kingdom Come: Conflict - Dave Mitchell
Palm Sunday | Kingdom Come: Conflict - Dave Mitchell
Read More →


Church Family Sing-Along Video

During the Coronavirus lockdown, our church family wanted to join together at Easter to create a video for our online service, showing us worshipping together to Amazing Grace - My Chains Are Gone (Chris Tomlin version).

Thanks to everyone who took part singing and playing instruments and Jo from our Woodlands Worship team for performing master track of Amazing Grace on the guitar to help us all sing-along in time (ish).

God bless you all!
Woodies Team

Woodlands Church, Belgrave Road, Bristol BS8 2AA